Spring Football Spotlight: Powledge's Safety Room Growing into Versatile, Veteran Force
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Baylor safeties coach and defensive coordinator Matthew Powledge couldn’t hide his excitement as he reflected on his group at the end of spring camp. The depth and versatility in the safety room stood out most to him, which are qualities Baylor hasn’t always had in recent years.
“It’s a good mixture — there’s a lot of depth, some young, some old, some with a lot of snaps underneath their belt, some kind of ready to make their mark,” Powledge told the media last Thursday. “There are guys that have a skill set of playing around the box and have a really good feel for the game of football — good blitzers. Then, there are some guys in the backend who are rangy who go attack the ball. Then, there are some guys that are really good in the slot.”
Powledge added, “Each guy is kind of unique, but this is the most depth we’ve had at this position in a really long time. We’ve been pencilled in as being in this personnel or that personnel. Because of the versatility and different guys that are Swiss Army knives, it gives us the ability to be creative on defense.”
The leadership of Powledge’s safety unit begins with senior Devyn Bobby, who has played in 38 games at Baylor, 25 of which have been starts, and hasn’t missed a game in his career. Bobby was third on the Bears last season in tackles (80) and was tied for the team lead in interceptions (3).
“He ended the year probably playing his best ball that he’s had since he’s been here,” Powledge said of Bobby. “He can build off that. There are parts of his game that he’s focused on right now that he’s trying to improve. In his sophomore year in ‘23, I think he had over 75 tackles and probably had a missed tackle percentage that was in single digits. Last year, it was in double digits. We’ve really kind of attacked some of that stuff.”
Oregon redshirt sophomore transfer Tyler Turner says his transition to Baylor has been smooth, partly because of Bobby’s leadership, noting, “He's a great, great dude. He knows the playbook and is a very good player. He is very knowledgeable. He's been here, so he knows the ins and outs and everything that comes with it. He's been a great leader.”
Tyler Turner — one of two safety transfers with the last name Turner — finally ended up back in Waco this offseason after initially committing to Baylor while at Brennan High School. A four-star recruit in the 2023 class, Tyler Turner had a longstanding relationship with Matthew Powledge, but ultimately decommitted from Baylor when Powledge left for Oregon in 2022 to become the Ducks’ co-defensive coordinator.
During Tyler Turner’s two seasons at Oregon, he played in 17 games, totaling seven tackles and two pass break-ups. This offseason, he returned home to the Lone Star State and teamed up again with Powledge, who spent one year with the Ducks before coming back to Baylor prior to the 2023 season to take over as the safeties coach and defensive coordinator.
“Coach Powledge and the guys here have made it really easy, really simple,” he said. “I was committed here in high school, so I know some of the people around the building and around the facility. It’s been like home.”
As for what Tyler Turner is bringing to the table for Baylor’s safety group, he says, “I’m just trying to bring some maturity, as far as knowing the game and having run kind of a similar playbook at Oregon, just bringing my insight and what I’ve learned over there and bringing it over here to improve the group is any way I can.”
The other incoming Turner, Devin Turner, is a senior transfer from Northwestern. Originally from Little Elm, Texas, Devin Turner collected 162 tackles and seven pass break-ups across three seasons at Northwestern. So far this spring, Devin Turner has been a breakout player, creating havoc all over the field.
“He’s been a Big-Ten All-Conference guy,” Powledge said of Devin Turner. “He’s made plays in big football games. He’s been on winning teams. He’s been through rough situations. He’s experienced. To get a guy like that with leadership experience, too. He’s very, very smart; he graduated in three years. He is a really good communicator on the back end. He’s one I’m really excited about.”
Devin Turner landed at Baylor partly because he wanted to be closer to home and because of Powledge and head coach Dave Aranda’s ability to develop safeties into NFL-caliber players. The Northwestern transfer believes working with Powledge can help him accomplish his goal of making it to the league, and that his playing experience across three seasons with the Wildcats could lead to a breakout season this fall.
“I’ve been playing for [three] years, so I have some experience,” Devin Turner said. “Some of the things that I see, I’m able to pick up things a little bit faster than others. I would say that’s the biggest thing, my tackling and [ability] to make plays.”
Both Turners have caught the attention of Bobby, the elder-statesman in the room, who says, “All of the new guys came in with a lot of intent and a lot of focus, which carries over to the field and allows them to play more fast and more green.”
Another player who will get a fresh start this fall is sixth-year senior Kendrick Simpkins. Simpkins transferred to Baylor after an all-conference season at Western Kentucky, where he totaled 7.5 sacks and forced four fumbles.
Upon his arrival in Waco, Simpkins struggled to stay healthy and missed the rest of the regular season after suffering an injury against Colorado on Sept. 21. He returned for the Texas Bowl against LSU, but was able to get a medical redshirt to come back for a sixth collegiate season.
“It was a long process and it was a hurtful process going down and getting hurt,” Simpkins said. “I had to get a waiver to come back another year. It was a long process, but I’m blessed and happy that I could come back for another year.”
Powledge added, “A lot of the leadership within the group comes from the two Devins and Kendrick. He made his mark being a blitzer, being an active guy around the box, and one area in his game where he's probably improved the most is in coverage. Getting him back gives us another voice in the secondary, gives another leadership-type guy, gives us an older guy that's been through battles, that's been through wars and can really be a mainstay force.”
The final piece to the puzzle is returning junior Carl Williams IV, who had a breakout freshman season, during which he was the third-highest graded cornerback in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus. Williams IV parlayed that success and represented the Bears last summer at the Big 12 Media Days. Due for a standout sophomore season, Williams IV struggled with injuries throughout 2024.
However, he managed to still play in eight contests and had his best game of the season in the Texas Bowl versus LSU, going for seven tackles and forcing a fumble. If fully healthy, Williams IV is expected to be a key player for Baylor in 2025.
“Carl's one of the most intentional guys of the group. He stays locked in, always focused, but he's also extremely versatile,” Powledge said. “He's a guy that's played corner for us here at Baylor. He's played nickel for us here at Baylor. He's played safety for us here at Baylor. And that's cool that he's done all those things, but you want to be a master of something, not just be a jack of all trades. With the depth that we have now, we can focus him in at one or two spots, and I think he'll take off.”
Earlier this spring, Williams IV caught the attention of Baylor legends and current NFL players, Jalen Pitre and Terrel Bernard, who were both in town to see a practice. Afterward, Powledge asked their thoughts on the secondary, to which they instantly responded, “Y’all look way better. Who is No. 15? Is that the Williams kid? He’s freaking impressive.”
As Powledge looks to put all of the pieces together on the back end, there’s no doubt that the returning players, particularly Bobby, are looking to get rid of the sour taste that last season left, where Baylor struggled in coverage throughout the fall and allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game (234) in the conference.
“We most definitely use it as motivation,” he said. “We were, and we see all of the comments that have been made about us. We all use it as fuel and as motivation. We’re trying to come out here and compete and be the best we can be.”
*Sidenote: this article and the quotes from the presser were done last Thursday before Saturday’s practice, where Grayson Grundhoefer reported in “Down the Line” that Northwestern transfer safety Devin Turner (Sr.) had an injury that’s a cause for concern*
Other Spring Football Spotlights:
- Aranda's Call Sheet: Baylor Football Closes Spring Camp on a High Note
- Prentice, Wilson Help Round Out Revamped Wide Receiver Room
- Cornerbacks Embrace Change Under Paul Gonzales
- Baylor's Running Back Room Gears Up for Big Season Ahead
- Led by Robertson & Spavital, Offense Eyes Greater Success
- Baylor’s O-Line Focuses on Improvement and Consistency
- Tight Ends Finding Voice Amid Injuries and Change
- Linebackers Look to Set Tone for Baylor's Defense